Thomas Tuchel has been
appointed as the new coach of Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal, the
French champions confirmed on Monday.
The
44-year-old German has agreed to succeed Unai Emery, who will leave the
Qatar-owned side after the final game of the French season this weekend.
“It
is with much joy, pride and ambition that I am joining this big club,” said
Tuchel in a statement released by PSG.
“I
can’t wait to start working with all these great players who are all amongst
the best in the world.
“Paris
Saint-Germain has enormous potential and it is by far the most exciting
proposition in football.”
According
to French sports daily L’Equipe, Tuchel was recommended directly to Qatar’s
Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani by the Qatari consul in Germany.
At
one point linked to Arsenal before Arsene Wenger announced he would be leaving
the Premier League club, Tuchel will begin his new role in early July with the
start of pre-season training.
It
was an open secret that Tuchel had been lined up as the next coach of the
ambitious club from the French capital.
They
had been on the look-out for a replacement for Emery since being beaten 5-2 on
aggregate by Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League in March.
That
disappointment in Europe, following a humiliating loss against Barcelona at the
same stage a year ago, meant there was no chance of Emery’s two-year contract
being renewed at the end of this campaign.
Emery
has nevertheless just overseen a clean sweep of the domestic honours in France
this season, after winning the French Cup, League Cup and season-opening
Champions Trophy in his first campaign.
Tuchel
was a free agent after leaving Borussia Dortmund a year ago, despite leading
the team to victory in last season’s German Cup.
“Thomas
is one of the best and most competitive European coaches to have emerged over
the last few seasons,” declared PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
“He
abides by very strong principles of playing spectacular and clinical football
that has always been the foundation of German football, especially on the
international scene.
“His
competitive spirit, his preference for attacking football and his strong
character are in line with what we have always wanted for Paris Saint-Germain.”
Tuchel
becomes the fifth different man to coach PSG since Qatar Sports Investments
bought the club in 2011, following Antoine Kombouare, Carlo Ancelotti, Laurent
Blanc and Emery.
He
will be tasked with ensuring that they continue to dominate at home while finally
making a major impression in the Champions League, having failed to go beyond
the quarter-finals in the Qatar era.
Tuchel
will also have to find a way of keeping Neymar happy, provided the world’s most
expensive player remains in France for a second season.
However,
Tuchel — a modest player whose career was cut short by a knee injury — is not
yet proven as a coach at the highest level.
He
did an admirable job in charge of Mainz, before succeeding Jurgen Klopp at
Dortmund in 2015.
His
first season saw Dortmund finish runners-up to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga
and the German Cup, while losing to Klopp’s Liverpool in the Europa League
quarter-finals.
Last
season, Tuchel’s side slipped to third in the Bundesliga and lost to Monaco in
the Champions League quarter-finals, but they did beat Eintracht Frankfurt in
the Cup final.
A
falling-out with the Dortmund hierarchy cost him his job, and he had been out
of work since then.
PSG
wrapped up this season’s Ligue 1 title with five games to spare. Emery, who on
Sunday was named as France’s coach of the year, will lead the side for the last
time against Caen this weekend.
AFP
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